1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to mountings for levers, and particularly, to lever mountings where it is desired to provide a spring action which constantly urges the lever in one direction against resistance means such as a stop. An example of such an assembly is a lever which supports an automotive brake pedal beneath the dashboard and adjacent the firewall. In small cars, especially those with front wheel drive, there is limited space for mounting a spring which will return the brake pedal to its upper position. Other areas of application for the invention could be pivoted handles or doors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to mount levers, handles, doors or the like on hinges and at the same time provide separate spring means urging the part in one direction against a stop. For example, in the case of a brake pedal it is known to provide a helical spring in addition to the pivot. However, compact cars, especially those which have front wheel drives and transaxles, have tight quarters under the dashboard which make it difficult to install the conventional parts used for this purpose.
Other patents discovered during the search which disclose bushings of the same general construction that are used as mounts for suspensions are Hipsher U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,857 which uses the bushing to support a leaf spring and Herold U.S. Pat. No. 2,087,254 which relates to a tilting mechanism for chairs.